Hopeful Anticipation
by Amethyst2
Summary: Ginny finds a way to grab Harry's attention, but Hermione ruins it, Harry completes a puzzle, Ron makes eyes at Hermione, Draco falls through the ceiling and Justin steals the hyphens.


Hopeful Anticipation  
  
By Amethyst  
  
Dedicated to David, as always. Jerk.   
  
Also to Cassandra Claire, whose permission I do NOT have to use her name in the story, but whose stories are so absolutely cool that I couldn't resist. Read Draco Dormiens, but only if you're 13 or older.   
  
Disclaimers: Harry is mine. Really. He is. J. K. is just borrowing him from me. I wasn't using him, and he was getting dusty in that box in the attic, so when J.K. asked me for him I didn't really care. But he is mine, sorta. Not that J.K. would ever admit it, of course. She'll probably tell you some really amusingly FALSE story about how I snuck into her house one night to try and steal her manuscripts, or about a bunch of prank phone calls… Anyway, she's lying! I didn't! I was framed!  
  
  
Anyway…  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione were all alone in the Gryffindor Common Room, and they were seconds away from figuring out Voldemort's fatal weakness.   
  
Actually they were working on a puzzle. The picture they were trying to assemble was a group portrait of all the Death Eaters at Disney World, and Harry could see Voldemort strangling Mickey while all the Death Eaters blew up the Epcot ball. There were four or five pieces that didn't seem to fit anywhere, and Harry was studying them with all his might. He just couldn't find where they went!  
  
However, just as Harry was on the verge of a brainstorm, Ginny came barreling into the room.  
  
"Harry, I love you!" she blurted out.  
  
He looked up. "Oh, it's you, Ginny. That's nice." He went back to studying the puzzle.  
  
"No, I REALLY love you!" Ginny tried to get his attention, with no luck. She suddenly had a brainstorm. "Harry, I'm actually VOLDEMORT in disguise!"  
  
He looked up in hopeful anticipation. "Really?"   
  
At least she had his interest. "Yeah!"  
  
Harry considered that for a moment. "Cool." He started to stand up.  
  
"Harry, don't listen to her." Hermione wasn't looking up from the puzzle before them. "She's lying."  
  
"I am not!" Ginny said huffily, staring at Hermione indignantly.  
  
"Yes she is. Remember, she was possessed by Voldemort in our second year, she can't be Voldemort." Hermione was clinical as ever with her explanations.  
  
Harry looked a bit disappointed. "Oh. Oh well." He sat down again.  
  
Ginny folded her arms and turned away. "I thought you were my friend, Hermione!"  
  
Hermione turned bright red. "I am your friend, Ginny! But I'm secretly in love with Harry, so I can't help you!"  
  
Ron stood up and stared open-mouthed at Hermione. "You can't be in love with Harry! I love you! You have to love me!"  
  
"Well I don't, so phhhbbbbbtttt." She blew a raspberry at him. Harry wasn't listening to this conversation.  
  
"But it's not fair!" Ron shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. "Harry gets everything! He gets to have his parents killed! He gets to have a great ruddy scar on his head! He gets to have an evil dark wizard try to kill him every year! Now he's got *you* to LOVE him too!" He crossed his arms and pouted. "It's not fair."   
  
Harry still was oblivious to all this. He picked up a corner piece, and tried it in several different places.  
  
"Don't worry Ron," Ginny comforted him. "I still love you."  
  
They hugged.  
  
"I know you love me, Ginny, but it's just not the same." Ron sighed.  
  
"No, I mean I *really* love you." Ginny hugged him closer.  
  
Ron squirmed away. "What the heck do you mean? We're *brother and sister* for Pete's sake!"  
  
"No we aren't!" Ginny's lower lip trembled, and her eyes watered. "I've wanted to tell you all these years… I'm adopted!"  
  
"Really?" Ron thought about this a moment. "You know, I've always thought you were too cute to be related to Fred and George." Hermione stared open-mouthed as Ron gave the girl who had once been thought his sister his best suave smile.  
  
Harry's interest was piqued. "So," he said casually, finally deciding that the corner piece went in the corner, "who're your real parents Ginny?" He gave her a look of hopeful anticipation.  
  
Ginny gave him an evil grin. "My biological father is Tom Riddle."  
  
Harry stood up. "Really? Cool." He grabbed her around the waist and gave her a big kiss.  
  
"HARRY!" Hermione squealed indignantly. Then, thoughtfully: "Oh well, at least I have Ron."  
  
"Hey!" Ron yanked Harry away from Ginny. "I saw her first! And she's lived with me for the past sixteen years! She's MINE!"  
  
"Nuh-uh!" Harry countered brilliantly.   
  
Ginny grinned wickedly at Hermione. Now both boys were fighting over her, and ol' Hermy-girl was left in the dust.  
  
But ol' Hermy-girl had an Ace up her sleeve. "Ginny, you can't be adopted!"  
  
"Why not?" All three of the others asked.  
  
Hermione smiled. "Number one, you look exactly like the rest of the Weaselys!"  
  
"So?" Ginny scowled.  
  
"Number two, when I saw your birth certificate, it said 'Virginia Weasely,' not 'Virginia Riddle.'"  
  
"Oh, poop," Ginny said in disgust. Both Harry and Ron gave her bored looks.  
  
"When did you see Ginny's birth certificate, Hermione?" Ron asked.  
  
It was Hermione's turn to grin evilly. "When the two of us went to try and get her name legally changed to 'Draca Weasely.'"  
  
Ron turned to stare at his sister. "Why-"  
  
"Because I'm actually madly in love with Draco Malfoy! I'd do anything to get his attention, even change my name! I love him!" Ginny exclaimed.  
  
Ron looked a bit stunned. "I just wanted to know why you took Hermione with you instead of me." Everything that she said suddenly sunk in. "You're in love with Draco Malfoy?"  
  
"Did somebody call my name?" Malfoy suddenly appeared. He gave Harry a wicked smile, and then turned to Ginny. "You know, Weasely, I always thought you were good-looking for a Gryffindor."  
  
"Why thank you," both Ron and Ginny replied.   
  
Draco grabbed Ginny's arm and pulled her into a corner, where he began to whisper things into her ear that made her turn red. Ron watched them for a minute, then turned back to the puzzle.  
  
"Aren't you going to stop them?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Why should I?"   
  
"You know, if they get married, her name will be Ginny Weasely-Malfoy."  
  
"NOOOOOO!" Justin Finch-Fletchly, swinging into the room on a long vine. "All hyphenated surnames belong to ME!" He started to sob, blew a raspberry at Ron, and swung out on his rope again.  
  
Everyone stared after Justin as he swung away, ala Tarzan. After a moment, everyone returned to what they had been doing.   
  
"Well, since Justin just stole all the hyphens, that means that Ginny will just be Virginia Malfoy," Hermione said matter-of-factly. ("Mine!" Justin pipes up, stealing both hyphens.)  
  
"Never!" Ron stomped over and pulled Ginny away from Draco, who only looked mildly peeved at the interruption. Ginny, however was crying and screaming as she tried to pull away from her brother.   
  
"Draco, Draco! Defy they father and refuse thy name! For, what is in a name? A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet!"  
  
Draco, however, shrugged, leaning casually against the wall. He stared at the several people in the room for a while, then his eyes locked on Hermione. He smiled in hopeful anticipation.  
  
Ron finished tying his sister to as much of the furniture as he could reach, and locked her in a Draco-proof suit, (Justin comes in and steals the hyphen), then turned only to see the love of his life flirting with a very self insert hyphen here assured Draco Malfoy.  
  
"HEY!" Ron protested, rushing over and nearly tripping over Harry, who was still trying to finish the puzzle. He looked up in mild annoyance, adjusted his glasses, and saw that Hermione and Draco were flirting with each other.  
  
"HEY!" He protested, rushing over to them. He tugged on Hermione while Ron tugged on Draco. Draco punched Ron in the gut, as Harry grabbed Hermione around the waist and kissed her on the lips.   
  
"HEY!" Ron tried to protest, but he was having trouble breathing at the moment.   
  
Draco shrugged and turned away, noticing that Ginny had finally untied herself from all the anti-Draco traps Ron had set. Harry, noticing Draco's lack of interest in Hermione, let go of her, and sat back down to work on his puzzle again.  
  
"What is wrong with you, anyway?" Hermione asked him in annoyance, as Draco ran over to start talking to Ginny, and Ron came over to make puppy dog eyes at her.   
  
"This is a really good puzzle!" Harry explained enthusiastically. "Hey, what's Ginny' doing?" Noticing that Draco and Ginny were now lip insert hyphen here locked, he rushed over to them.  
  
"What *are* you doing, Potter?" Draco asked as Harry forced himself between Ginny and Malfoy.  
  
"I saw this in "The Karate Kid,"" Harry explained between clenched teeth, both arms stretched out as he balanced on one leg, defending his true love from the evil Draco Malfoy. Ginny clasped her hands under her chin, stars in her eyes as she stared at her one true defender and protector.  
  
Draco scowled. "Potter, I don't know why you insist on interrupting me like this." He reached out and gently tapped on Harry's shoulder. This small action overbalanced him, and he went tumbling over like Tokyo Tower during a Godzilla attack.  
  
Draco stepped over Harry's prone body, and picked up where he left off with Ginny.  
  
However, a moment later, a giant flying dragon exploded through the roof of Hogwarts. A tall young woman was riding astride the dragon's neck, and wielding a keyboard.  
  
"C'mon, Draco, let's go." She beckoned to him.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Cassandra Claire. Come with me and I'll rock your world."   
  
Draco thought for a moment, looking between the small redheaded Ginny Weasley and the dragon-riding, keyboard-wielding Cassandra Claire. "Coming, Cassie dear!"  
  
He jumped on the dragon and they flew away in a shower of ceiling tiles and plaster.  
  
Harry got up, and Ginny threw her arms around him. "Oh, Harry! Draco left me, and I don't have anyone to love me but you!"  
  
Harry had lost interest in her, however, and tried to walk back over to where the puzzle was still waiting. Ginny attached herself to one of his legs, and he had to drag her across the floor.   
  
However, Voldemort was waiting for him.  
  
"Hello, Potter."  
  
"AAHHHHH!" Everyone screamed. "IT'S VOLDEMORT!"  
  
Harry grinned. Finally, some evil insert hyphen here butt insert hyphen here kicking action! "You can't kill me! I won't let you!"  
  
Both wizards faced each other as they raised their wands…  
  
"HARRY! WE LOVE YOU!" Suddenly hundreds of girls all burst through the portrait hole. They were all the girls of Hogwarts! Lavender, Parvati, Padma, Hannah Abbot, Millicent, Pansy, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Cho Chang, and all the others all burst into the room.  
  
"What?" Voldemort turned to stare at them. "Why are they all here?"  
  
Harry glared at them all.  
  
"Let me get this straight," Hermione said, untangling herself from Ron, "you all are here because you love Harry?"  
  
"NO! Of course not!" They all chorused. "Don't be stupid!"  
  
"Yeah," Cho Chang said. "I'm here because I love Voldemort."  
  
"THE REST OF US ARE HERE BECAUSE WE LOVE HARRY!" Everyone else chorused, while Cho batted her eyes at the Dark Lord.  
  
"I'm trying to destroy Voldemort and save the world, you know," Harry said in annoyance.   
  
Ron, however, had taken one look at the hundreds of Hogwarts girls, and started collecting fellytone numbers from all of them, his eyes shining in hopeful anticipation.  
  
Hermione started to sob, Ginny detached herself from Harry's leg and cowered in the corner, the Hogwarts Girls minus Cho started to chant Harry cheers, and Cho was trying to pull away from all of them so that she could go cuddle up to her Pookums.  
  
"I will NOT be called 'Pookums' by anyone!" Voldemort said in a loud scary voice.  
  
"HEY!" Harry yelled. Everyone quieted, except Hermione and Cho. "I'm trying to destroy the Dark Lord, and the rest of you are getting in my way! Everyone out now!" After a moment, he pointed at Cho saying "You can stay."  
  
All the other girls groaned in disappointment, but Cho quickly shoved them out of the room. Turning around, Harry held his arms open for her. While he was doing that, Voldemort shot him with "Avada Kedavra." He fell forward dead.  
  
Hermione and Ginny let out piercing shrieks, as Cho did a happy dance and then rushed into Voldemort's arms.  
  
"I love you, Pookums," she said, snuggling against him.   
  
"Don't call me that!" Voldemort roared, and tried to shoot her with an Unforgivable. However, Harry had miraculously recovered, stood up, and blew Voldemort into tiny pieces with one spell. Then, he turned to Cho Chang, hopeful anticipation in his eyes.  
  
"I love you, Cho!"  
  
Cho considered this for a moment. "Can I call you 'Snuggle-Bunny?'"  
  
"Sure! Will you help me finish my puzzle?"  
  
"Sure!" They cuddled up together on the floor and started trying to finish the puzzle.  
  
Hermione turned to Ron. "Well?"  
  
He grabbed her around the waist and started to kiss her.  
  
Ginny looked around and pouted. Well, things were even worse than they'd been when they started off. "Harry?" No response. "Ron?" No response. "D-d-d-raco?"  
  
Justin came in and stole all three of her hyphens. He paused a minute, and stared at Ginny. "You know, you're kinda cute."  
  
"Really?" They both kissed.  
  
Then, Draco fell through the ceiling.   
  
"DRACO!" Ginny squealed in happiness, tears running down her cheeks. "How in the world did you get back?"  
  
Draco rubbed his head, staring in annoyance up through the ceiling. "All I said was that I hated leather, and whoosh! Down I come!" Then he noticed that Ginny was waiting with open arms, and that Potter and Weasley were both well…. Occupied.  
  
"Ginny darling!"  
  
"Draco snookums"!   
  
They rushed into each others' arms. Justin went away to steal all the rest of the hyphens.  
  
And everyone was happy.  
  
  
AN: Just more madness from the factory of Amethyst! Review, and please flame me! I use them to cook marshmallows over! 


End file.
